RPK

The RPK (Russian: РПК; Ручной пулемёт Калашникова, romanized: Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, lit.'Kalashnikov's hand-held machine gun') is a Soviet7.62×39mmlight machine gun/squad automatic weapon that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKMassault rifle. The RPK was created to standardize the small arms inventory of the Soviet Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD machine gun.

The RPK continues to be used by the military of the post-Soviet states and several African and Asian nations. The RPK is also manufactured in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.